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Tuesday, October 06, 2009

They're Big In Japan.

Anna Dello Russo, editor of Vogue Nippon.

Models were ditched for actresses a while back in the fashion biz. Their coveted cover spots were given away to stars of the silver screen to move product by feeding the globe's growing obsession with celebrity. Now, the editors are taking over. In so many ways, it makes sense. They are the tastemakers. Their fingers are closer to the pulse than any other group in the fashion world. Editors have the freedom to wear anything/everything to work day in and day out. They live, eat, and breathe fashion.

Editors Sarah Rutson, Emmanuelle Alt, and Giovanna Battaglia.

They are on the front lines of the trend battle. They are the next wave before it comes anywhere near shore. They create the looks that become "the look." They are also more than pretty faces and hot, lithe bodies. Their ideas, words, notions, and creative instincts are the brilliant back bones of large companies. They are executives in a fantasy world, and they dress the part. By definition they take in all the information around them--what's happening on the streets, what exquisite pieces have come down the runway, what Grandma just left in her will--and they make it into something that walks off of glossy magazine pages, and in fact weaves in and out of traffic on busy streets. Fueled by a spate of camera-wielding bloggers, their images are becoming more and more known. Those to watch? Anna Dello Russo, Giovanna Battaglia, Emmanuelle Alt, Melanie Huynh, and Sarah Rutson. My absolute favorite is Kate Lanphear, in all of her spiky, platinum softness.

Mi favorita! Kate Lanphear.

In Japan, there is a cult of Fashion Editor celebrity that is so strong that entire publications are dedicated to it. Watch!